Until recently, the relatively few functions that existed in vehicles were controlled by a few individual components. For example, windows were activated by switches on the door of the driver, radio controls were present on the dashboard located between the driver and passenger, and windshield wipers, lights, and turn signals were controlled by stalk switches present on the steering column. As the various types of control associated with this equipment increased, for example, individual timing settings for windshield wipers, stalk switches were added and refined to incorporate these multiple controls. However, the added cost and complexity of increasing both the number of stalk switches, positioning the stalk switches to allow operator access and visibility of the dashboard indicators, as well as the complexity of the wiring for those stalk switches and the limited space in the steering column as the amount of vehicle equipment increased, eliminated the possibility of further useful alterations in the stalk switches.
To solve the problem of controlling multiple pieces of equipment without increasing the number of stalk switches, knobs were added to the dashboard between the driver and passenger and buttons were added to the steering wheel itself. Some of the functions controlled by buttons on the steering wheel include radio and CD functions, volume control, and cruise control. Unfortunately, as the number of controls and complexity of the controls in vehicles has further increased, the number and complexity of various buttons and switches has become extremely cumbersome and in fact prohibitive. The sheer amount of information available to the driver and equipment to be controlled by the driver no longer merely includes the above controls but includes for instance vehicle characteristics (such as gas mileage), temperature controls, multiple zones of comfort that need to be set, DVD controls, controls for cellular telephones, controls for GPS systems, controls for wireless email. The further addition of buttons, knobs, or switches would add to the already confusing jumble of controllers that exist and serve to further distract the driver from paying attention to the road.
One solution to controlling the increasing amount of equipment is through the use of haptic interfaces. Haptic interfaces are devices that allow a user to interact with a computer by receiving tactile feedback. Usually feedback to the operator is provided by generating a force that the user can sense by feel. This force can either be constant or have different modes dependent on the operating conditions and particular computer program running. With the recent decreasing cost of such devices, the haptic interface has been incorporated into many new applications. Some of these devices include glove-type devices, pen-type devices or mouse-type devices, which may serve to allow users to touch and manipulate 3-dimensional virtual objects, feel textures of 2-dimensional objects, operate machinery remotely in hazardous environments, or in various simulations. In the last case, with the rapid increase in computing power and decrease in cost, haptic control is now readily available to enhance realistic conditions for numerous types of simulations, for example video games such as car driving games.
However, there has been more limited application of haptic interfaces to vehicles. This is because, unlike video game controllers which may be designed specifically for simulation and haptic control, vehicles have limitations of cost and space that make use of haptic controllers either unaffordable or unmarketable for the advantage they provide. Or these limitations used to render the use of haptic interfaces simply unusable in vehicles. Furthermore, unlike video game controllers in which buttons are constantly being activated, steering wheel twisted, or lever manipulated and violent feedback constantly required, vehicle controls do not require this sort of motion. Nor is this type of motion preferable for controlling functions in a vehicle, in which the controlling equipment may be critical for safety purposes and such motions are likely to at least distract the driver.
At present, a haptic interface has only been installed in a luxury vehicle. This haptic interface has been used to control some of the extra functions that have been added or controlled by the various buttons and knobs on the steering wheel/on the dashboard and eliminated these controllers. However, present haptic interfaces are difficult to learn and use as the number of menu options are extensive and irregularly displayed on the display. In general, only text is shown and there is limited display graphics. Furthermore, there are multiple nested screens with little, if any, indication of how to get from one screen to another. In addition, there are few degrees of freedom for the controller within each screen. This means that until the driver memorizes the overall system, the driver is likely to have to study the display to determine which function he or she has activated and decide how he or she must further manipulate the controller to achieve the desired result. In addition, even if the driver is competent, if the driver makes a mistake, it is difficult to return to the screen to control the desired function. Furthermore, a multitude of buttons, knobs, and stalk switches, still remain, creating confusion as to what mechanism controls which function.